F-111 Aardvark | Behind the Wings
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- F-111 Aardvark | Behind the Wings
The F-111 was the first mass-produced airplane with variable-sweep “swing” wings. Explore its design, development, and missions. It's time to go... Behind the Wings!
Join Wings' Curator Chuck Stout on a journey into the history of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. Special guest Maj. Gen. Ray O'Mara (Ret.) shares his experiences flying the FB-111, overseeing maintenance and training. We'll walk around the plane to look at its unique ejection capsule, afterburners, and other design features. This one's going to be cool!
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This is a great airplane and we couldn't cover everything so drop your questions in the comments and we'll get to as many as we can! #curatorquestions
The F-111 polarised the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1962 Australia had an order to purchase the British 24 TSR2 aircraft for $96,000,000.
When the TSR project was terminated they placed an order October 1963 with General Dynamics for 24 F-111's for $72,000,000.
The aircraft was to be delivered in early 1968, but Australian aeronautical engineers was concerned about the wing box which they said caused stress on the fuselage.
In September 1968 the Minister for Defence stated the the cost of the 24 aircraft was $268,000,000. I had joined the RAAF January '68.
Australia decided to lease 24 F-4 Phantoms in 1970. Whilst the F-4 was a better combat aircraft it only had a range of 1750 miles.
The F-111 suited Australia's needs with a range of over 6,000 miles. The RAAF finally took delivery of the F-111 aircraft in 1973
A pilot once told me "The F-111 has the grace of a wounded seagull descending on a chip when landing."
While there is no exact data, at least 3 RAAF F-111 aircraft have crashed killing the crew on every occasion. They were all doing low level training.
At first the RAAF cited pilot error, but after the family of one pilot (Sqn Ldr Anthony Short) launched legal proceedings, the RAAF conceded it was metal fatigue.
Was the aircraft worth the cost for Australia is a moot question. Taking into account the cost of leasing the Phantoms the F-111 may have cost close to $400,000,000 in '73.
If there is any error in my comment I would greatly appreciate being corrected. The F-111 was a popular topic during my 6 years in the RAAF.
@@kenchristie9214 Shorties death was officially caused by crew planning, not using the TFR and outdated maps. They were simulating an Harpoon missile for Navy training. For more exact listings on losses I suggest you go to the ADF Serials web page. The RAAF F-111cs range on internal fuel was 6700km, that is 'clean' ie no stores, obviously that drops considerably with weapons. Did you know that when Australia showed interest in the F-111, Lord Mountbatten flew to Australia to talk with the Australian government, he dramatically dropped four models of the British Bristol "Buccaneer" and a model of an F-111 on the PMs desk and said you can have FOUR of these for every One of those. needless to say it wasnt fruitfall for him
@@davidewhite69 Thanks David.
You have triggered so many aussies hahaha good video though! Love the content. 🦅🦅🦅
Excellent presentation of the F-111. And good to have the general over. Well done chaps 👌🏻
Flew 'varks in Desert Storm. F-111Fs from Lakenheath, bad boys with the big engines and PAVE TACK pods. Little known fact: F-111s killed more tanks in DS than any other aircraft, including A-10s. 500# bomb (GBU-12) tank plinking, all guided in and captured on video by WSOs. Good times.
I can remember a certain Tom Lennon being the base commander..i worked at lakenheath as an ''On base'' FED EX courier 1991 until 2003..great memories.
Was in Desert Shield/Storm with the F-111s from RAF Lakenheath. After ODS, Lakenheath transitioned to F-15E Strike Eagle
Awesome stuff man, thanks for sharing
I showed up at the Heath during Desert Storm. Flew with the Panthers until the transition. Great times indeed.
Wow
That fuel dump and burn was always a crowd pleaser when our Australian RAAF did it at airshows. They would specially like to do it as the last display in teh show when it's around dusk.
I remember one doing a dump and burn in Canberra for a RAAF anniversary flight. The flames were said to be “the spark” that set off the firework finale.
a plane every australian knows and loves
Agreed. I was a RAAF photographer. I spent way too much time int he weapons bays of the four RF111Cs
It’s a classic, never got a replacement unfortunately. B1 would’ve been ideal for air shows.
And every Puertorrican. We lost one of own over Libya in operation El Dorado Canyon flying an Aardvark. Major Fernando Ribas Dominicci RIP.
Agreed, but I seem to remember some controversy regarding the lining of the fuel tanks and a surge in DVA claims.
@@valo7120 yeah, my grandad used to clean out the fuel tanks of those, we ended up getting a settlement out of it. but yeah, i don't think it was in the lining of the fuel tank i think what it was, was the fumes of the tanks as the people cleaning them out had to crawl out into the wings to clean them
Great video, I remember when he was Captain O'Mara and lived across the street from us in Plattsburgh, Great to see him again.
This plane was a beloved plane in my state.
Every year we have river fire and the air force brings planes.
In the old days the F-111 would do drop and burns coming in low over the river and city.
Was an amazing sight as a kid
I know right!!! Awesome sight seeing them fly over at night. I live near Amberley so i use to see them practicing all the time. The Superhornets are pretty cool, but they don't breathe fire like the 111..
I worked on the TFR, ARS, nav and bomb computer system, doppler and hud systems on the F-111As, EF-111s and FB-111As. I was stationed at Plattsburgh AFB in '80 to' 81 before being stationed at RAF Upper Heyford in England and Pease AFB in NH. Spent 8 years working on that pig, but I enjoyed the challenge. I enjoyed my tours.
Such an incredible aircraft that's for sure. My dad worked on the same systems on 111's at Heyford, Pease & finally retired at Cannon in 97. He was with the 509th at Pease and the 428 at Cannon. I can't recall what squadron he was with at Heyford. Unmistakenly most people knew him at "Koep" as he was 6'9" and a mountain of a guy.
Were you in A shop ?did you go to Lowry?
@@ceangasrevenge no, only Plattsburgh, NY, RAF Upper Heyford in England and Pease AFB in NH. Don't remember what shop but I worked ARS, TFR, nav/bomb delivery computers, etc.
WOW!!! I was in high school and a cadet member in the Civil Air Patrol in 1971 and that summer I went to a 10 day encampment at Plattsburgh AFB; we got to see the FB-111s but were told that we weren't allow to photograph them. I was probably there when Maj. Gen. O'Mara was there! I didn't have a camera, but I still have the certificate of completion of the encampment that I received.
We may have been at the same CAP cadet encampment! The following year I entered the Air Force as an Integrated Avionics Component Technician (AFSC 326x1A - later called Automatic Test Stations). Stationed at 380AMS, Plattsburgh AFB after about 7 or 8 months of tech school at Lowry. Worked on many of the avionics systems - my favorite was the Inertial Navigation System. Left P-burgh in after around 5 years, cross trained into computer maintenance, and when I was stationed in Germany we had a communications buffer unit for our mobile RADAR unit's comms with the Navy that used one of the IBM CP-2 4Pi computers - the same unit as the General Nav Computer and Weapons Delivery Computer from the FB-111, but we didn't have any of the automated test equipment to run any type of diagnostics that we had in the shop. Since I at least recognized what it was I was tasked with keeping it running.
Nice video, I flew F-111s for about 8 years and got about 2000 hours. Great plane, really fast and stable down low.
Robert, did you choose to fly the F-111 ????? Also, did you see some pilots decline to fly the F-111 ??
@@dks13827 When I graduated pilot training, you had a wish list. F-111 was my 3rd choice, after F-15 and F-16. Only 5 guys in my class of 42 pilots got fighters, and I was very happy with the F-111. I only ever saw or heard of 1 guy who voluntarily washed himself out of F-111 training. He was a bit odd.
I heard the Navy complained that it was a slow and sluggish aircraft. Why did it have that reputation?
@@EbonyPope I was an Instrument / autopilot tech and instructor on the F111D and A from 1970 to 1980. I think the US Navy had mainly two reasons for saying bad things about a good airplane. One was they didn't want a trend to get started by allowing the Pentagon civilians to select the weapons. In the military once you do any job it becomes your job. The other reason is that the Navy top brass wanted an airplane made by Grumman. Many high level military people expect to get a cushie high paid job with the company they have helped by selecting their weaponry. They have several of their military friends who have retired from the military in those companies already. It went on back then and probably still does today.
It would have saved billions if the Navy would have accepted the F111. It did perform well on aircraft carrier test. You can find videos on TH-cam of the carrier tests.
@@jnbfrancisco Oh thanks for the info. Really exciting to talk to someone who was involved in flying those beautiful planes. I love the look of the plane. Who was it like to fly compated to others?
Yes I can imagine that other interests led people to trash the plane.
I personally love the Saab Draken. Never seen such a crazy design for a plane. As far as I know they are retired though.
I loved working on the F-111s. Still my favorite.
Me too. It was the first fighter I worked at mountain home. I later got to work F16’s at kunsan and McDill.
@@TheBlkpilot I didn't realize I could click the photo in front of a person's post and see a synopsis of that person's other posts. (Cool!) I was also at Mountain Home AFB while you were there - but I was in the air-conditioned tech shops working on the plane's electronics (TFR and attack radar system in my case). Some in the shops called you crew chiefs "knuckle draggers" - which I though was untrue and in very poor taste. I elected to attend an overview class of what things were like for you guys - all the systems you actually worked on... and what a shock. I could not believe how much you guys were responsible for on each and every one of those aircraft and the encyclopedic knowledge you had to attain to work on them. I stood in awe of all of the crew chiefs!
I was an employee of Grumman in 1981 and worked on the EF111A modification to the radar jamming version of the aircraft. It was called the electric fox.
The F-111 airframe was way ahead of its time.
I was stationed at Mt. Home from 77-81. I was a flight sim tech. So while I never actually flew in the real thing, I logged 100's of hours in the simulator. Got pretty good at flying that sim. Loads of fun.
F111, one of my favorite jets. F15s, f14s, f22s, awesome jets!
Wow, this video brought back some great memories. When I joined the Air Force, my first duty assignment in 1978 was Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire. Pease was then a SAC base and, at the time, had a contingency of FB-111 and KC-135 aircraft on alert at all times. As a Security Police Specialist, my job was to guard the alert FB-111’s and all related equipment. The mission for that base has changed since those Cold War days as I understand that Pease is now a National Guard base. This video sure took me back to a time when I wore a younger man’s clothes. Thank you.
I was a crew chief on A models at Mt Home. We went TDY to Pease one winter and I changed my opinion on who had the worst job. Being in the weather all day (or night) got frosty at Mt Home but we had flight line trucks and NF-2 to warm up. SAC SP's at Pease stood out in a small square of ramp with their bag of tricks...that had to rate zero on the fun meter. Not sure what the duty day was for them but even 4 hours on a winter ramp with no shelter had to be a bear.
Was stationed at Pease in 85’ best tour of my 24 year Air Force career.
I was in the Air Force during the cold war as an aircraft engineer. I have fond memories of these superb aircraft. OUTSTANDING great video.
Love the interviews with the actual flyers of the aircraft --great stuff!
One item, the FB was never a replacement for the B-52, nor was the B-52 old at that time, the G's and turbofan H's had only been out 4 or 5 years. The FB-111 was an emergency replacement for the B-58 Hustler, with it's Widow-maker tendencies as well as structural and total flight cost problems AND it's total lack of any versatility in bomb load types The B-2 was the eventual replacement for the FB's, as epitomized by the transfer of the Wing (509th) to Whiteman as soon as the FB's left Pease.
Confirmed
B-58 flew well at low altitude but its ECM was a potential problem in wartime ops
Yeah, and the primary mission of the FB-111 was to be a "door kicker," blasting holes in the Russian radar and air-defense network, which would grant the heavier bombers a better chance of making it to their targets.
Correct.
I was stationed at Pease AFB, 1969-1973,
and in 1970 we only had tankers, as the
Buff's, B-52's, had left, and December 1970,
509th Bomb Wing Commander, Colonel
Winston E Moore, as I remember then, flew
one across the field, and after it landed, some of us in the hanger got to look at it.
In 1972, as Captain, I became the 509th
Combat Support Squadron Section Commander there at Pease.
Wonderful video, thanks! The F-111/FB-111 was one of my favourite planes of all time. I remember seeing a RAAF one for the first time as a small boy at Coolangatta airport in QLD, Australia. No idea why it was there at a commercial airport, but man did it look mean. The look of these machines alone would've been enough to stave off a nuclear war, I reckon!
that F-111 landed at Coolangatta as a precaution because of a lightning strike, although it's less than ten minutes flying time back to RAAF Amberley it was considered a safety priority
I remember seeing one land there also once.
What a great informative interview. I was stationed at Plattsburgh from 86-88.
I visited that museum last year in Dec. I just returned from Denver yesterday and while debating what to do on my last day there i was thisclose to going to Wings museum again before I found a tour of Coors field going on. Denver is a great city and I enjoyed both the museum and Denver. I also went to the National Museum of the USAF a few days prior, they have 2 F-111's. THAT....THAT place is insane to see!
Great video. My dad was an F-111 pilot in the early 80's.
One of my favorite, if not my favorite aircraft.
The FB-111A began its service life in 1969 (the summer of love) at Carswell AFB. Just across the runway was the General Dynamics assembly plant where they were built. I arrived from the Grand Forks AFB B-52H avionics shop in May, was trained in the FB-111A digital avionics school in Denver that summer, and worked in the Carswell avionics shop until the following spring when I was transferred to Upper Heyford, England arriving there before the first F-111E deliveries. I was at Carswell when the first FB-111A's were delivered and I was at Upper Heyford when the first F-111E's arrived. That makes me a certified antique!
My experience both at Carswell and at Upper Heyford was severely limited by the long grounding of that airframe while the wing problem was being resolved. Best explanation I have ever seen of that problem here in this video, by the way. Thank you!
Two things I remember most about these assignments. One was the incredibly awkward avionics shop test equipment, especially the Ampex-made dual tape deck program storage units shared by multiple test stations which required enormous patience because they were constantly caught up in long delays while the tape decks searched through long reels of tape for the next set of instructions and the second was how little any of us really knew about these digital flight control and navigation systems. Of course, maybe that was because I was just a kid at the time, but we were test bench operators more than actual electronics troubleshooters and none of us were experienced with these kinds of digital systems. Even the civilian technicians setting up the test bench systems were struggling to figure things out.
I remember a few times wanting to rerun a particular test, not wanting to wait for the tape systems, and trying to punch in line after line of hexadecimal code from the manual into the hexadecimal keyboard on the test bench. Forget that! Man, what a chore! And it almost never seemed to help me do what I wanted to do.
The Carswell crew wound up at either Plattsburg, NY or Pease, NH but I was in England when that happened. In the 1970's and 1980's it was common to see FB's flying low-level, like really low, over central Maine, the Moosehead Lake region where I lived, and I remember being on Boarstone Mountain just east of Monson watching FB's flying by well below where I was perched. One time I was working mid-winter at the north end of Moosehead Lake and I heard that sound, rushed outside in the cold, and sure enough, several FB-111A's were skimming low overhead having flown past Mount Katahdin in Baxter
State Park and headed west towards Plattsburgh. Years later my wife and I were driving east on a logging road near Greenville and we heard the sound - that sound! -and there they were again, just a flash of a sighting when they crossed over the road ahead of us no more than a couple hundred feet above the trees heading south - towards Pease most likely.
That, for sure, was one heck of an airplane, so modern in design that it would fit right in today. The B-52, even back in the 1960's, was a relic compared to the FB-111A. I know, I know, the H-model B-52 still serves the AF, but the 111 paved the way into modern aviation.
I seem to recall something about the F-111 costing something like $14 million apiece. So expensive, they all said! But maybe I am mistaken...
Very significant aircraft for any kid growing up on Australia's east coast all the way up until the mid 2000s, surprise low level school runs kept us all very excited.
Tears were shed the day they were retired.
Such a great aircraft. You are part of American history. Thank you sir.
Back in the day the F-111 was part of the TFX program that failed joint USAF-USN fighter, although the F-111 Air Force variant had some issues at the start in early 1960s they decided to go with mass production, even though in Vietnam the main role of the Aardvark was an interdictor or tactical bomber/ground strike aircraft they still retain the designation F in the F-111, F as in Fighter or multirole aircraft in the USAF aircraft designation post 1960, even though her main role is interdictor aircraft. Also the F-111 and F-117 were the last so called century series aircraft since they both had number designation over 100 and then the Airforce and Navy "resetted" the numbers back to 1 again like F-4 Phantom, A-6 Intruder, F-5, etc.
VARK VARK VARK! It's such a beautiful aircraft, and so very capable. I think the F-111 is a unique piece of aviation history that has a little bit of everything from its era, and I'm so happy you got a veteran to tell us about her!
Also dont forget the EF-111. Fat tails! Great radar jamming aircraft. Served well during and after Desert Storm.
The Sparkvark! The electronic jammers were so powerful they mildly electrocuted the crew.
I'm sorry, "mildly"? ⚡😳
@@jehoiakimelidoronila5450 supposedly they could hear electrical buzzing in the cockpit and feel almost a static electricity in the air.
@@slickstrings Jesus christ 😱
When I was at the Land Warfare Centre in Canungra, Queensland, the F111 used to fly over regularly as they took off and landed at Amberley. QLD. Impressive!
F 111 was the first plastic revell model I assembled without help from my dad, will never forget the variable wings, played with it throughout my childhood!
The F111 is quite simply the most beautiful airplane since the Spitfire. Fast and deadly.
Great episode, I've always wondered what that dish-shaped mechanism was on the tail ever since I visited the museum, now I know its the F-111's famous fuel dump port! I'm happy to see the Flogger has joined the B-1, FB-111, and F-14, last time I visited, the MiG-23's landing gear were still up!
Nice to see "Colonel" (MajGen) Ray O'Mara, 380th BW/CC here in this video! I was one of his flight control & instrument guys in the 380th AMS (for 4 yrs, 1/82 - 12/85). That FB you have enshrined in the museum is EXCEPTIONAL as it's never been painted and she looks as fresh as the day she landed, I hope you don't paint it! Any way to get the afterburner "cans" for the back end? Thank you for creating a great piece about the FB-111A, narrated by both yourself with a really special warrior speaking about my first F-111 model that I worked on--SAC Trained Killers we called ourselves! THANK YOU. (That photo of me is sitting in my restored FB capsule at the Global Power Museum at Barksdale AFB (then called the Eighth Air Force Museum under the guidance of Harold D. "Buck" Rigg) -- i was assigned there for probably 7 yrs after retraining out of the F-111 world due to its retirement, but I got my hands dirty, mighty dirty, repainting the FB twice, changing the four cockpit glass pieces twice, and taking what was a shell of an E model (ejected) capsule from Upper Heyford, and creating an FB capsule by canning & swapping parts from the FB outside--only thing missing is the ARS tracking handle which i simply could NOT get out of the FB on display. Cherished times!
Nice to have an experienced pilot the flew the plane. Makes a difference.
Where I live we have 1 displayed at our RAAF base here in town Wagga Wagga NSW Australia
I wish the would put a roof over her, its sad she is exposed to the elements like that
Pease, AFB circa 1982. One Ardvark plants its belly panel into the golf course. Four!
Hey, maintenance squadron! Do more than clip the panel into place. Next time remember the bolts!!
I was USAF Security Police in the 80's at PAFB, 380th SPS/380th BW(M). Was great to see Plattsburgh mentioned and one of "our own" in Gen. O'Mara speaking on the F/FB-111.
Yes one of the coolest aircraft ever. Hope the aviators thought so?
Fantastic and informative video! Really enjoyed learning more about this iconic aircraft!
It's so cool to listen to aviators who are the real deal reminisce about there careers flying these remarkable aircraft. I was a ground crew member on a B-52 in the mid 70s. The plane I was assigned to was on the tarmac one night waiting on an issue to be resolved and the aircraft commander climbed down and while we were waiting told us the aircraft we were standing by was not only flown by his dad but his grandad as well. He researched the tail number which stays with a plane through its' entire service life. Remember this was 1977. That was now 45 yrs. ago. Thomas Quick aka old skool and I'm just saying.
Nice work! Thanks for preserving this history. The F-111 is iconic.. I loved working on the F-111s. Still my favorite..
I believe that all TF-30 engines are "controlled" (read: not available for museums) because the Iranian have been known to take parts from them to maintain their F14 fleet.
I was stationed @ Plattsburgh from 1-70 to 7-73. 287 was one of the tail numbers I worked on. 380th FMS A/R shop.
This is truly an incredible aircraft
Thank you General. Wish you were running DC!
The swing wing was a manual that was normally folded under the left cockpit combing. You had to pull it down and the wings moved when you slid the lever back and forth. There was a flag in the airspeed indicator that would pop up if the wings were in the wrong position. The F-111 was an early adopter of strip instruments.
A Couple of friends of mine used to work on the F-111's wings at McClellan AFB when it was still an active base, the swing wing design was effective but also very costly to maintain as the wing pivots were subjected to very high stress loads, my friends would tell me they would have whole crews of people spending many hours polishing hairline stress cracks out of the wing pivot hubs and as with all ageing aircraft the maintenance cost forced it into retirement just like the F-14, both great and very effective aircraft.
1982 I was stationed on a Airbase in Germany. The Aardvark was a integral component of the Russian first strike doctrine in the Fulda Gap
I wish you would had the major general up at the cockpit to talk a bit about that
Ah the pig, I miss seeing them fly over ipswich, though we didn't have the FB-1-11 we still had the dump and burn that would light up the night sky for river fire in Brisbane. It's just not the same without the old girls. If only they could fly forever, a brilliant all rounder air frame and a credit to the ingenuity of the once great United States military engendering capabilities.
Rest peacefully lady, you deserve the rest.
Our Boneyard Wrangler started life as the FB-111A. I lived just 5ks from Amberley 15 years ago and cmwould watch them practice for airshows.
we bought 15 ex F/Bs that had been converted to Gs. One of the tasks as part of the terms of purchase was to remove the nuclear AGM-69 SRAM system, every component of that system had to be accounted for return to the US
General Omara , thank you for your service 🇺🇸🫡
The F111 Aardvark is the best air plane of the all times. I'm fan of this plane.
Excellent video. Enjoyed the discussion.
FB-111s flying out of Guam during Linebacker II went first and had priority targets after we lost a couple of B-52s. Didn't seem to bother them at all.
Do the hard points for the external tanks pivot as the wing swings to keep them in line with the airflow? If so, how does that system work?
The four interior (inboard) hard points swiveled; the the four exterior points did not.
@@williamwingo4740 You might mention that the outboard tanks automatically jettisoned when the wings were pulled back. There was not enough space in the wing taper for the pivoting mechanism.
@@christopherfranklin1881 I didn't know that, but I'm not surprised. I never flew it or even saw one up close; but formed an impression from many negative rumors over the years. USAF and the Aussies tried to put the best possible face on it, but they were only partially successful.
Born a political airplane; died a political airplane.
Thank you so much for the cool video.
9:46 Yes, I think so too!
So, this may be a strange question - I visited your museum in 2019, have some great photos of that very plane with my wife. But what got my curiosity, the little gray capped man with the wizard hat...I've seen him on a few aircraft in that museum.. what does he stand for, who is he? You can see him at 6:12, The Beast is holding the gray guy up in his right hand. He's also on the F-4 Phantom in the Wings Museum and a few others I think as well. I think he has a # II written on his chest.
Great question =) maybe something to do with CIA/NRO spooks...?
👍🏻…my favorite plane…great interview!
The last models of the F-111 were awesome.
Spent years watching F111's fly over my house as a kid here in the UK back in the 70's and 80's, they were based locally at Upper Heyford and home to the 20th TFW and also RAF Lakenheath.
Weird thing is when you call some military equipment or vehicles a Pig, it'll be an amazing thing you would ever see or probably use. Like the F-111, M60 Machine gun, UH-1 Huey variant called the Hog etc.
Worked the F-111F at RAF Lakenheath and the F-111D at Cannon AFB.
At the "Heath" I loaded both nuclear and conventional weapons to include the bay mounted M61A1 20mm gatling gun.
Nice video.
slight correction, the FB-111 wasnt the first mass produced swing wing, the F-111A was, and the F-111A was NEVER a fighter!
One of the coolest planes! Discovers Wings! did a great episode on it.
Great interview !
A great interview
The dreaded 7 engine approach!
Very good presentation.
Very very beautiful fighter
Specialy the jamming EF 111
We remember it for its bunker busting mission which resulted in end of GulfWar1😊
From 83-86 I worked on the FB-111A at Pease AFB, NH. Electrical Systems Technician. I actually worked on the aircraft in this video. (287)
This plane deserves alot more justice than whag it gets. It destroyed more tanks than the a10 in desert storm.
Great video. Maybe a bit more on non-nuclear missions of F-111 variants?
Back in 1980-82, I was a Crew Chief at Royal Air Force base Upper Heyford in England. Playing war games, we would load the F-111- E model with a variety of "dumb" bombs.
Imagines a B-52 (trying to) flying on only its far outboard engine....
Very cool
What an amazing aircraft, and I miss them dearly.
My favorite aircraft of all that I’ve played with.
By the way….The FB-111A does NOT have a greater internal fuel capacity than the other F-111 models.
That's wrong Patrick. The internal fuel on the F-111 A, C, D E is listed at 4191 gallons, and the F shows 4184, and the FB is listed at 4673. Max T. O. weight of the FB is listed at 119,243, crushing the other F-111's into the dust with their max load of 110,000 for the C, and 100,000 for the D and F, and 91,300 for the A and E. Oddly enough, the FB would be loaded to the 119K T.O. weight, knowing they couldn't take off that heavy, about 115K was all they could do at sea level, so it was expected to burn off about 4k of fuel with engine start, systems check s and taxi.
@@harrystone8847
LOL
Max take off weight isn’t only about fuel, so that means nothing.
They had the same fuel tanks as other F-111s.
Initially, they also had the so-called finger tanks that were deactivated, as they were a maintenance headache & not worth the trouble….too difficult to work on.
The only difference between FBs & other Varks, fuel capacity-wise, was that they could carry EXTERNAL tanks on stations 2 & 7….that’s 1,200 gallons extra.
BUT, that is EXTERNAL fuel, and those tanks must be jettisoned after takeoff if you don’t want to fly the whole mission slowly, with wings at 26°.
Having worked on all USAF models in the overhaul facility, I know they all have the same internal tanks.
In fact, the FB-111A supposedly holds 5 gallons less in the aft tank.
I don’t know why, but maybe due to higher structure thickness for high gross weight requirement.
@@patrickflohe7427 how many years did you work on military jets? I put in 24, on the 111 series.
sorry, I disagree with you Patrick. From memory the G had about 3200 pounds more internal fuel capacity than the A/C/D/E/F , its been a very long time since I worked on Cs and Gs though so my figure might be a few hundred pounds out
@@davidewhite69
Well, you’re wrong.
The only differences in structure were that to a degree, Cs had a slightly thicker structure, and FBs (Gs were the same aircraft as the FB, as they were made from them) maybe a little more so, which would actually mean slightly less fuel.
All F-111s had basically the same structure.
The dimensions of the aircraft were the same, and the fuel tanks were therefore the same.
Where did they put this extra fuel?
-they didn’t.
This was very informative and a fun watch. Chuck did a good presentation and General O'Mara is obviously very knowledgeable and seemed to enjoy going through the functions of the aircraft. The Aardvark was far ahead of it's time, truly a remarkable plane!
I’ve always been interested most in the D models they had at Cannon AFB, in New Mexico. The bombing/navigation system on that bird was supposedly second to none but it experienced constant difficulties and was never able to mature.
Great aircraft! I heard they stored a 20mm cannon in the bomb bay? Is that correct?
in the early days, more for demo of capability than anything. In the '80s and '90s none of the models had them
I have always thought the F-111s should have been nicknamed "Mallard" because they always have reminded me of a duck in flight.
It's amazing how many jets they built as a replacement for the b52.....and yet the b52 is still flying and hasn't been replaced lol
Taking this video for a more general question: as you can see, the cockpit „glass“ has become yellow over time due to sun exposure. You can see that quite often when looking at aircraft in museums. The question is: why don’t you just polish the polycarbonate so that it becomes clear again? Perhaps some clear coat or vapor polishing and you’re fine.
While stationed at Sembach AB, Germany in the late 80's with the EC-130H aircraft our sister squadron was the EF-111 out of Upper Heyford , England. That is such a large, cool aircraft... On a TDY to the 50th Anniversary of the battle of Britain at Boscombe Down in England and they fly the 111 and lit the fuel dump during the show and Wow...
I was at Ramstein AB from 74 to 76.
Great plane,love from holland
In Tom Clancy's book "red storm rising" this aircraft is called a Frisbee right? Why is that so?
LEETSSS GOOOOO GRAHHHHHHH
NEW BEHIND THE WINGS GRAAAAHHHH
Is F-111 related to B-58 Bomber (Hustler)?
Nice video, but...where's "how cool is that!" ?
He moved on to Seattle, if I recall correctly
VARK VARK VARK VARK!
The Avatar H Wardog? Future combo jet?
Factoid, the first F111 were built for the US Navy! And they did land on US Carriers. Deemed unstable for the Navy, then the US Air Force took over the program.
So where’s Matthew and all his hair gone?
3:46 *silly question..... **#JustSaying*
Approach speed is faster than take-off speed?
well think about it. For takeoff you're starting at 0 knots. You're accelerating to rotation speed, and the big nose radome acted as an airfoil in itself, greatly lending to "flying" or getting off the ground, with the slats down 100% and the flaps set at the max of 34 degrees. The nose rotates and the aircraft lifts off, afterburners are in Zone 5, and you're accelerating to get airborne. On the opposite side, you're coming in for a landing trying to stay in the air and trying to stay aerodynamically in control with your flight control surfaces directing where you're going and what you're trying to do. The aircraft is lighter because of fuel burned and maybe some stores (bombs) dropped, but you still need power & lift over those wings, with the horizontal stabilizers and the big vertical stabilizer and rudder doing its thing(s). When the jet is on the ground, then you're decreasing speed by the engines being knocked back to idle, the four wing spoilers "spoiling" the airflow over the wings (decreasing lift) and you are pulling back on the stick so your big horizontal stabs creating further braking. Oh, and aircraft brakes on the two main tires! Increasing speed to take off, but decreasing speed but still needing to stay airborne upon landing. Approach speed is faster than take-off speed. IYWDSYAS! (SORRY again Mr. Stout, just reading and trying to dig deep into my ever-aging brain, that gets excited when talking about the Aardvark! F-111 Integrated Flight Controls & Instruments Systems Technician, Jan 1982 - Oct 1995!)
@@AirForceMike1981 in short, that's just the flight characteristic of the vark. Thanks for your feedback & insights.
Takeoff speed was strictly a part of the hi-lift system to get it off the ground. When it was ready to fly, it flew. On Landing you had to set the mains on touchdown (force the wheels to the track distance) so it required a a good speed and a firm flare all the way to the runway. Remember this was a USAF/Navy compromise so the Mains were long shock absorber gear that needed to be compressed.
@@paulholmes1303 why not just let gravity do what it does? No worries, no reply needed. Thanks.
if the wings are back you cant have slats and flaps extended, hence the high speed due to lack of lift augmentation
What happened to the engines ?
They were removed prior to it going to the museum.
Whether that was for cost or availability it is still the case that the F-111 would sit on its tail if the wings were swept full back on the ground. We had to manage the fuel load even with wings forward (if I remember right, we would strap ballast to the nose in Phase dock if wings were swept)@@johnosbourn4312
So I guess this is what the British were aiming for with the TSR2 - except they didn't have any money to put it into service!
my dad put one out that crashed in Portsmouth NH
What an excellent video with unnecessary music
The US FB111Aardvark Fighterbomber use in the Vietnam war operation Linebacker 2 and these FB111 Aardvark fighterbomber fly at low altitude and that even S75 Divina SA2 or Surface Air Missile or SAM2 Radar cannot just detect it used by the North Vietnamese Army or NVA supplied by the Soviets . So thats reason why Numbers of NVA S75 SA2 or SAM2 have been knock out and because Radar can only detect if the aircraft flying high altitude and but not the US FB111 Aardvark Fighterbomber and cannot low altitude . It was successfully in the Air raid sky of Tripolo Libya in 1986